CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 11/15/22

Rural Health Day brings attention to rural health care issues

By Jennifer Dunn
Aerial view of UGA Tifton campus research farm
Through the Rural Georgia: Growing Stronger initiative, the annual Farm Stress Summit and the Georgia Agriculture Wellness Alliance, UGA Extension is expanding its work to improve rural stress and mental health to serve the 1.5 million Georgians who live and work in rural communities. (Photo by Andrew Tucker, Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)

More than 60 million Americans and 1.5 million Georgians live and work in rural communities and value being members of small communities, but access to health care and treatment is challenging in areas where doctors and hospitals can be far from home.

Nov. 17 is National Rural Health Day, held annually on the third Thursday of November to bring attention to the state of rural health care. The national holiday was established to honor rural providers, health care professionals, hospitals and community leaders who support towns and communities throughout the nation and provide opportunities for them to thrive.

In the early part of the 20th century, it became clear that rural areas lacked adequate access to health care services and did not have the financial resources needed to expand access. The Social Security Act of 1935 was drafted to help extend health services to mothers and children living in rural areas, an important step that resulted in lower maternal and infant mortality rates.

More than 50 years later, in 1991, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health began offering grant programs that have provided an important support system for families living in rural communities. 

We know there are not enough doctors and therapists living and working in our rural communities and, as a result, we do not have adequate access to medical treatment and hospital care in many communities. This is especially true for those seeking mental health services.

According to the National Rural Health Association (NHRA), the patient-to-primary care physician ratio in rural areas is only 39.8 physicians per 100,000 people, compared to 53.3 physicians per 100,000 in urban areas. The statistics for behavioral health providers are even lower. A 2018 study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine estimated that in rural counties — those without a core city of 10,000 people or more — 80% lacked a psychiatrist, 61% lacked a psychologist and 91% lacked a psychiatric nurse practitioner. 

At the University of Georgia, we are committed to helping the rural communities in Georgia and the producers, farmers and residents who are the backbone of their communities. Within UGA Cooperative Extension, work to improve rural stress and mental health is expanding.

UGA Extension held the state’s first Farm Stress Summit in Tifton in May, attracting more than 100 attendees. As a result of the summit, the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance was created with partners from UGA, Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia Foundation for Agriculture and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center at Mercer University School of Medicine.

This alliance’s primary focus is supporting the whole health of farming communities. The group is researching best practices to address rural and farm stress and well-being through data collection and outreach in rural communities across the state. A second Farm Stress Summit is planned for early 2023, with event details to come. 

UGA Extension's Rural Georgia: Growing Stronger initiative provides resources on stress and mental health, nutrition and physical health, financial management, and youth development.

Information on Rural Health Day and ways to mark the occasion are available from the U.S. Health Services and Resources Administration. For more information about rural health resources, visit georgiaruralhealth.org or contact your local UGA Extension office.

Jennifer Dunn is a rural health agent for UGA Extension.

Authors:
Jennifer Dunn
Experts/Sources:
Jennifer Dunn
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time to spend more of the holiday with guests, taking time ahead of the day to set expectations can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. CAES News
Manage holiday stress with kindness, boundaries 11/21/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Much like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time allows you to spend more of the holiday with guests, setting expectations ahead of the celebration can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Radon, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas, is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., but it can be detected and mitigated with the help of local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices across the state. CAES News
UGA sponsoring radon poster contest for Georgia students 09/13/24 Rebecca Cantrell
Radon, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas, is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., but it can be detected and mitigated with the help of local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service offices across the state. Radon comes from the breakdown of uranium in granite and rocky soils, so Georgia’s wealth of granite bedrock increases the chance of household radon for its residents.
A new UGA study found that individuals 65 and older are more than more than 10 times as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than people in the 18-to-24-year age bracket. (Getty Images) CAES News
Type 2 diabetes increased by almost 20% over a decade 08/22/24 Leigh Hataway
Type 2 diabetes increased by almost 20% between 2012 and 2022, according to a new study from the University of Georgia. The researchers found an increase in diabetes among all sociodemographic groups. But non-Hispanic Black people were particularly hard hit by the disease, with just under 16% of Black study participants reporting being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. More than 1 in 5 individuals aged 65 or older had the condition.
03 20 2024 Farm Stress Summit Allisen Penn and panel 048 CAES News
2024 Farm Stress Summit provides mental health resources for Georgia farm communities 03/25/24 Jordan Powers
As Georgia’s No. 1 industry, agriculture pumps billions of dollars into the state’s economy each year. While headlines often highlight Georgia’s commodities — peanuts, blueberries, poultry and more — one aspect of agriculture is often not discussed, the farmers themselves. At the 2024 Farm Stress Summit, held at the Chattahoochee Technical College Jasper campus, a few critical points were woven throughout each of the day’s sessions: The people are the most important part of Georgia’s agricultural industry, and the state needs to come together to help farmers and promote agricultural education and awareness.  
2024 FarmStressSummit Graphic CAES News
Farm Stress Summit to address mental health challenges among Georgia farming communities 03/04/24
The prevalence of mental health challenges experienced by farm families and farming communities in Georgia is staggering. Faced with unfavorable weather, unfriendly economic conditions, labor shortages and more, farmers of all types often cope with the pressures of their profession in unhealthy ways, including considering suicide. On March 20, UGA faculty and farmers, agricultural community members and mental health stakeholders will convene at the 2024 Farm Stress Summit to look for opportunities to support Georgia’s farm families.